The ominous roar of a massive piece of metal tearing through the air reverberated across the circular chamber.
The old, blood-red greatsword in the Knight Commander Wraith's hands came crashing down.
Instead of dodging, Taehu raised the Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander at an angle and blocked the blow.
CLAAAAANG!
A deafening metallic shriek erupted as sparks scattered in every direction.
At the same time, a tremendous impact that felt capable of tearing flesh from bone surged through both of Taehu's arms.
"Urgh!"
With a short groan, Taehu was helplessly thrown backward.
He rolled across the floor and barely managed to regain his balance, but his chest throbbed so painfully that it nearly robbed him of breath.
His hands trembled around the sword's hilt.
This was not an opponent he could afford to block carelessly.
It might have been the hidden boss of a C-rank dungeon on paper, but the density of mana radiating from the wraith was effectively approaching that of a B-rank monster.
With Taehu's current raw strength and mana, he could not compete with it head-on.
Having painfully confirmed the difference between them, Taehu immediately lowered his stance.
'I can't overpower it. Then I'll have to exploit the openings.'
A faint pulse emanated from the leather glove covering Taehu's right hand.
The Tracker's Glove washed his vision in black and white as vivid red points began appearing across the wraith's body.
The narrow seams between the joints of its thick steel armor.
And the location of a damaged Mana Core pulsing ominously in the center of its chest.
The Knight Commander Wraith closed the distance again with heavy footsteps.
Its greatsword swept low across the floor, sending sharp fragments flying in every direction.
This time, Taehu did not recklessly meet the blade.
He followed the trajectory of the incoming slash with his eyes and bent his body like a sheet of paper, narrowly letting the attack pass him by.
The instant the cold rush of metal brushed past the tip of his nose, Taehu kicked hard off the floor.
SLICE.
The Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander pierced the red point behind the wraith's knee and immediately withdrew.
No matter how solid its breastplate was, its joints could not help but remain vulnerable.
The sword's bonus damage effect triggered on the critical strike, and one of the wraith's legs visibly buckled.
"GRRRRRR……."
The wraith emitted a grotesque metallic growl and swept its greatsword horizontally in fury.
Taehu quickly retreated and widened the distance.
The larger and rougher its movements became, the more openings appeared for him to exploit.
He darted in again.
Deflected.
Thrust.
The suffocating exchange continued without pause.
Dark Demonic Energy scattered from cracks forming across the wraith's steel armor.
The body of the seemingly indestructible monster was gradually crumbling beneath Taehu's relentless attacks.
The temporary party members watching from a distance could not close their mouths.
The party leader, still cowering behind his shield, swallowed hard.
"Who the hell is that guy? He's fighting that monster by himself."
The man they had dismissed as little more than a porter only moments ago was now controlling the battle against a boss monster that could have wiped out their entire party.
The absurdity of the situation struck the stunned party members like a hammer.
The spearman tightened his grip on his weapon and shouted.
"Party Leader! We can't just stand here! If he goes down, we're next!"
"Damn it, that's exactly what I'm saying! Mage! Archer! Hit it with anything you've got!"
At the party leader's desperate shout, the Hunters in the rear hurriedly raised their weapons.
A fire spell cast by the mage flew toward the wraith's helmet, while several arrows bounced off the armor covering its shoulders.
They caused no actual damage, but the effect was unmistakable.
Irritated by the incoming attacks, the Knight Commander Wraith abruptly turned its head.
Its greatsword began to rise toward the party members.
'Now.'
The party's desperate attempt to draw its attention had left the center of the wraith's chest completely exposed.
Taehu did not waste that brief blind spot.
He kicked off the ground and shot forward low and fast, like a predatory beast plunging into the wraith's reach.
The core in its chest burned brighter red than any other marker.
Taehu drove the Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander toward it with his full body weight behind the thrust.
CRUNCH!
A horrific rupture tore through the circular chamber.
The silver tip of the sword burst out through the wraith's back.
The blue light flickering inside its eye sockets flashed violently several times before abruptly going dark.
"RAAAAAAGH!"
With a final scream, its enormous breastplate shattered apart.
The house-sized monster collapsed into black ash in an instant, pouring across the floor.
Only the sound of heavy pieces of metal rolling over the ground echoed through the empty chamber.
"Hah... Hah."
Taehu exhaled shallowly as he brought his sword under control.
As the tension left him, every muscle in his body began aching in protest.
He did not mind.
The party members who had been standing at a distance cautiously approached.
"D-Did you really kill it?"
"This is insane. I've never seen anything like that in my life."
Still unable to believe what had happened, the party leader nudged the helmet lying on the floor with his foot.
But their amazement did not last long.
Their gazes naturally shifted toward the altar.
With the boss gone, the black energy surrounding the iron chest atop the stone pillar slowly dissipated.
Sounds of swallowing came from all around.
A Relic chest left behind by an undiscovered hidden boss.
Whatever was inside would undoubtedly be worth an enormous amount of money once brought outside.
"Um, Hwang Taehu. About the chest……."
Open greed seeped into the party leader's voice.
They had agreed earlier that the discoverer would have priority, but no one could know how people's hearts might change when confronted with such an enormous profit.
Taehu swept his gaze over the party members' increasingly covetous expressions and suppressed a laugh.
He had expected this.
He approached the chest and carefully opened the lid.
CREEEAK.
As the dust-covered lid rose, brilliant light spilled from within.
Several fist-sized High-purity Magic Stones, rare hides, and unidentified dungeon materials filled the chest.
And in the very center lay a single unimpressive, rust-covered old seal.
"WOOOOAH!"
"A-Are those all Magic Stones? Look at the size of them!"
The party members erupted in cheers, their eyes widening at the contents of the chest.
They looked ready to rush forward and scoop up handfuls on the spot.
Taehu deliberately put on a naive, good-natured smile and stepped back.
"You can take all the Magic Stones and materials in here. I survived because you supported me from behind earlier."
"What? Are you serious?"
The party leader asked again, doubting his own ears.
Taehu reached into the chest and picked up only the old, crude seal.
"Yes. I've always had a hobby of collecting antiques. This is enough for me."
"Still, it's a boss reward. Are you really giving all of this up……?"
The spearman asked with an awkward cough, though his hand was already opening his bag.
Taehu waved dismissively and smiled.
"It's fine. Magic Stones are heavy and annoying to carry anyway. We also agreed that you'd take the miscellaneous materials."
There was no better way to keep people quiet about the power they had witnessed than to put some money in their hands.
At Taehu's words, the party members' faces lit up.
The wary looks they had exchanged only moments earlier disappeared completely.
"Wow, Hwang Taehu, you've got a generous heart!"
"You're seriously our benefactor. We're going home with a hundred times our usual pay today!"
Having struck an unexpected windfall, the party members forgot even their fear and began sweeping the chest's contents into their bags.
Taehu slipped the old seal into his pocket and quietly turned away.
He had cleanly eliminated any unnecessary suspicion or dispute.
With that, his business in the dungeon was complete.
Cool night air settled over the room.
After safely leaving the dungeon and returning to his private space, Taehu dropped heavily into his chair.
He did not turn on the lights.
Instead, he carefully placed the Knight Commander's Seal from his pocket onto the table.
A crude lump of metal.
At a glance, it looked no different from a piece of scrap one might find lying on the street.
But Taehu saw something else.
Golden text from his Special Appraisal appeared clearly across his vision.
[Knight Commander's Seal]
-A Relic symbolizing the authority of an ancient Knight Commander.
-Regains its original power when combined with its lost counterpart.
Taehu's gaze naturally moved toward the Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander resting on one side of the desk.
He swallowed once and gripped the sword's hilt.
At the very end of the handle was a circular recess.
It matched the seal perfectly.
Taehu picked up the seal with a trembling hand and pushed it into the recess at the bottom of the hilt.
CLICK.
The crisp sound of interlocking metal echoed through the room as the pieces fitted together without a gap.
Then it happened.
The dull stains covering the entire blade peeled away in an instant, and dazzling silver mana erupted brightly enough to sting his eyes.
The dormant Mana Circuits flared red like blood vessels, surging powerfully from the tip of the blade all the way to the hilt.
A succession of new information windows appeared before Taehu.
[The Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander has fulfilled the Second Evolution Condition.]
[The item's Second Evolution is beginning.]
[Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander: A+]
-A masterwork blade that has regained its keen edge after its mana was purified.
-Bonus Damage Effect increased.
-Unlocks a Special Skill when equipped.
A+ rank.
A tremendous wave of mana, incomparable to what the sword had possessed before, surged through Taehu's grip.
But the surprises were not over.
HUM.
A powerful sensation struck him as though lightning had flashed through his mind.
Taehu squeezed his eyes shut.
It was not a headache.
Unfamiliar knowledge and sensations he had never experienced before were being vividly engraved into every muscle and nerve in his body.
The proper angle at which to plant his feet.
The precise instant to shift his center of gravity.
Even the method of using the body's elasticity to close the distance in a single burst.
[You have acquired the Special Skill 'Knight's Footwork Lv. 1.']
Taehu's eyes snapped open.
This was fundamentally different from equipment making his body lighter or increasing his attack power through stat bonuses.
The item had directly imparted an ancient combat technique to him.
The essence of martial prowess that someone might spend decades training to acquire had been placed in his hands simply because he had reunited the two severed halves of a Relic.
Taehu slowly rose from his chair, sword in hand, and took a light step forward.
SWISH.
As though the space beneath his feet had suddenly contracted, his body glided like a ghost until he was standing in front of the door.
There was not a single wasted movement in the smooth trajectory.
"Ha."
An incredulous laugh escaped Taehu in the darkness.
The overwhelming power in his hand.
And the endless damaged items he would discover as he continued exploring dungeons.
Every possibility ahead of him surged through his chest as blood-pounding exhilaration.
A deep smile spread across Taehu's lips.